Announcement Due to Super-storm Sandy devastation throughout the state of New Jersey and as a show of support for NJ's student population aspiring to entrepreneurship in these challenging economic times, we are extending the Campus CEO Challenge deadline to mid-February 2013, and presenting additional opportunities for students to present their business ideas to the world. All eligible applications already received this year will remain in consideration for final judging. New Jersey students are invited submit their mini business plans before February 16, 2013.

Challenge Overview

"Who says you have to wait until after graduation to earn a decent living or to launch the business of your dreams?" Not Dr. Randal Pinkett author of the book Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur’s Guide to Launching a Multimillion-Dollar Business and winner of the fourth season of NBC’s hit reality show, “The Apprentice.” Dr. Pinkett, an academic superstar with five advanced degrees from Rutgers, Oxford, and MIT, and a successful businessman who outlasted 17 contenders on the Apprentice to win the coveted spot in the Trump Organization, wants you to share your plan for a student-run business so he can help you make it a knockout success!

If you are a high school, college, or graduate student attending an accredited school based in the state of New Jersey, and you are already running your own company, or have brainstormed a business idea you’d like to bring to life, you’re invited to submit your story for Randal’s review.

Enter your mini-business plan into the Campus CEO Challenge today and you could win cash prizes and awards as well as a consultation with Dr. Pinkett to help you launch or grow your own multimillion-dollar business.

Eligibility

Students currently enrolled and in good standing at a high school, college or university in New Jersey are eligible to apply.

Business plans will be accepted in two categories:

1) General - Business that have the potential to revolutionize industry and create economic opportunity, and

2) Green - Businesses that have the potential to revolutionize industry by promoting, working with or producing ecological resources and creating economic opportunities.

Category sponsor: PSE&G
Only one (1) entry per person (or per team)

How It Works:

Submit the story of your existing or future business venture by clicking here. Entries must be submitted by Saturday, February 16, 2013, 11:59 PM EST. Don't have an idea but know someone who does? Pass the word. .

Randal and a team of experts will review qualified applications and select finalists based on judging criteria that can be viewed here.

Juice Tank will provide mentorship and advisory support, by appointment only, offering tips to entrants on how to improve their presentations.

Judging

Online Vote: The public will be invited to review the semi-finalists' entries online and vote on the business ideas they think will survive and thrive. The popular vote will be one factor in the selection of the ultimate winner, so don't forget to cast your vote!

Judging Panel: Randal and a panel of experts will review qualified applications and select semi-finalists based on judging criteria that can be viewed here.

Semi-finalists will be notified by Friday, February 22, 2013. All semi-finalists will make a 5-minute pitch presentation at the Final Awards Event on Sunday, March 3. All semi-finalists must attend to be considered eligible for final round judging.

Final Event and Awards

Semi-finalists are invited to attend FREE Lean Startup Machine, March 1 - 3, 2013, at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Campus Center. The three-day workshop will aid semi-finalists in building out their ideas and presentations before final pitching. Lean Startup Machine is a three-day workshop where attendees use Customer Development and Lean Startup principles to validate an idea for a new product or service. Bring your team, or come alone and new teams will form on Friday night.

Click HERE for the full weekend's itinerary, workshops and list of mentors. All semi-finalists who want to attend events over the entire weekend must RSVP to: info@randalpinkett.com.

The Campus CEO Challenge Final Event and Awards will take place on Sunday, March 3, 2013, 12 - 6:30 PM. Presentation slides are due at 3:15 PM. Pitches begin at 4 PM. Semi-finalists must attend and participate in the pitch round to be eligible for final judging.

First Place Winner:: General Category - $3,000

First Place Winner:: Green Category - $2,000

plus…

One-on-one Campus CEO coaching session with Randal; copy of Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur's Guide to Launching a Multimillion-Dollar Business, by Dr. Randal Pinkett; profile and business plan published on Dr. Pinkett's website

An established entrepreneur, scholar and community servant, Dr. Randal Pinkett is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of BCT Partners, a multimillion dollar management, technology and policy consulting firm started with several college classmates while at Rutgers University. After graduating from Rutgers with a 3.9 grade point average, Randal went on to become a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and earn four more degrees, including a Ph.D. from MIT. Thanks to his academic savvy and his profitable campus-based business, Randal managed to graduate from college completely debt free – a rare feat for most college students.
About Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur's Guide to Launching a Multimillion-Dollar Business

Every year, hundreds of thousands of students in the U.S. enter college totally clueless as to their choice of a major, and even less sure about what they will do with the rest of their lives. But for a growing number of students, the financial pressures of college are far more taxing than the academic rigors of campus life. As a result, many students rely heavily on financial aid, loans, part-time jobs, strict budgets, and whatever money their parents can afford to send them. Many students take dead-end jobs with no relevance to their college programs, while others even work on a full-time basis—sacrificing grades for dollars—and unwittingly setting themselves up to become college drop-outs.

However, students don't have to suffer through a penniless college existence, nor must they wait until after graduation to find a career and make money. Instead, they can generate income by launching their own businesses while on campus, taking advantage of the period in their lives during which any number of once-in-a-lifetime perks and resources are readily available to them. Campus CEO walks any would-be entrepreneur through all the necessary steps to launching a profitable, campus-based business, while simultaneously achieving academic success. Regardless of major, background, or area of interest, readers of Campus CEO will learn how to turn their academic and professional dreams into reality. Click here to order a copy of the book.